Now I'm spoiled

I think Dylan's getting spoiled. My parents already think so I'm sure. My dad was overwhelmed when most of Dylan's baby stuff had batteries in it. He would theatrically jump when one of them started singing or something. Toys have changed since when I was little. I do remember one really big toy that my cousins, Mindy, Chrissy, Lacey, Grant, and Ryan had. I remember it being a life-sized horse on springs! I'm pretty sure it was hard to share. We would trot and buck that horse so far back it was dangerous. It was hours of fun. My aunt and uncle just got one for Lacey's daughters and I told Lacey that I was jealous all over again.

My thoughtful Aunt Tina found out about my jealousy and ordered Dylan and Isaac the coolest birthday present ever! I pulled up to our house and my mood did the happiest 180 in a long time! I had been not so happy because Dylan had just tried to pass his smoothie to Isaac but dropped it. The Styrofoam cup was spilling its guts out between the two car seats (and on the floor).

I should have videotaped my own face's reaction to seeing the surprise. I was like, "Dylan look, look, look, look at our front door, what's there? You don't have to go to time out now, I know it was an accident. Look what Aunt Tina and Uncle Afton sent you and Isaac!!!"

Dylan exclaimed,"a present for me?! A horsey?! Is it my 'nother birthday?!"

I didn't know how to get out of the car. Should I get Isaac out first? No. Should I get out and wait for him from next to the box to get his reaction as he gets out of the car? Can't, I have to undo his seat belts. I decided to get him out and try to run ahead. He's fast though.
Then he sat and stared at it.

He and Isaac couldn't wait to get it out of the box. No really, he almost had to go to time out for begging too much, look at him. Patience, sheesh!

I let Dylan use my camera even though it's my only one. He took a lot of close ups of the horse's tail and legs while he waited for me.He kept asking "why he doesn't have a head still? Why he not done yet? Will you build a tower wis me now?" I didn't stop assembling until it was done. He had to build his own towers. The kids didn't have a bath that night, but they rode Prickly Pete! (Steven named him.)

Isaac was excited for his turn but got scared when I let go. It's a good picture even though he's crying and clashes with Prickly Pete because I know he'll be trotting and bucking like crazy soon.
Guess what Dylan did first thing when he woke up this morning.

Isaac was eager for his turn again, and did a little better. He didn't scream in fear, but he was skeptical. He'll probably get it tomorrow. (Plus he's still sick.)Forget them being spoiled, Now I'm spoiled. Thank you Aunt Tina and Uncle Afton!

Waiting for Rays season, I mean, Baseball season

This is what we do to pass the time. (ok, 1st time, but cute.) Dylan didn't know his controller was turned off. He would shout "Yay, we hit it!" and Brent would mutter, "I'm pitching."

Dylan was pretty into his video game.
Dylan got birthday presents, and guess what they were - BASEBALL STUFF!!! He got a bat and ball (he's really into his Cars race track, so good theme) and a brand new Rays outfit that actually fits him. Dylan, as I'm sure I've mentioned by now, wears his Rays outfit under everything. We do wash it, but he needed a new one. Yay!!Dylan looks up to Marc.
After baseball practice, Marc walked right through the house to go fishing on his dock. Dylan LOVES watching the big boys. And he loves his brother. This is where Isaac learned to give kisses.
We went outside to go to the store, and Dylan said "take a pick-choo Mom" as he stuck out his Rays logo. That's my boy:) One ridiculous picture deserves another, right! So we went over to their beautiful front door for a quick pic.
Go Rays!

Then we got smoothies. They're cooooooooold! (That's the sign that Dylan and Brent are doing.) Notice Isaac is not amused and is wondering where his smoothie is. Anyway, we're passing the time 'til Rays baseball season just fine.

Non-illustrated thoughts: I watched some of the Superbowl and decided that I like baseball much better. I'm sure it's because of a couple of reasons.

First, I have never (and probably will never) sit through a whole football game and paid attention. There are so many rules and I don't care to remember them even though when something happens, I do ask. I remember for a while, but not for long.

2nd, It kills me to see the timer at the top of the screen be so wrong. 15 min really means like an hour, and then that's only the 1st half!!!

3rd, I don't know any football players. My cousin Chrissy's husband played for BYU when I was there, but he just red shirted, so I didn't get to see him play when I went to the games. I have been to some games, and always have had fun, of course, but not because of watching football.

4th, My dad and Steven aren't crazy fans. I didn't grow up watching football. Steven watches the games and looks up lots of scores, but thankfully, he's not a fantasy football player.

Lastly, Dylan loves Baseball. On the way home yesterday, Dylan asked, "can I play baseball wis Daddy? Mom, mom, MOM!" (I acknowledge in my rear view mirror.) "Can I play baseball wis my Daddy please?" I called Steven right then and told him how cute his son was. Where did he get the idea? It's been a while since we played at our house. They played baseball while I cooked dinner. No really, I cooked. I made enchiladas from the pioneer woman dot com's website. (When we finally served it, we couldn't really tell where the tortillas were rolled up, so next time I'm just going to layer it all in like a Mexican lasagna instead of going through the hastle, but it was tasty!) Anyway, if Dylan or Isaac get into football, I'll possibly learn to love the sport too.

Good News

www.blurb.com is now accepting blogger blogs again! I'm at Thanksgiving for 2007, so once I finnish that year, I'll be ready to make 2008 into a book. For a while, blurb didn't take blogger stuff, so I heard.

baby kisses

Baby Kisses are the sweetest thing. Isaac just gave me and Steven baby kisses yesterday morning. Then he did it a couple of times throughout the day. He even kissed my mom, Don, and Jonathan when we left their house last night! He knows what kisses are!

They're the wet open-mouth, lean in, and land somewhere on my face kind. He went back from nursing to kissing to nursing to kissing while we were snuggling yesterday afternoon. I was just loving it. He was happy because he knew he was making me happy. I was saying "thank you for the kisses" and was laughing.

TMI warning: (Weaning is not going well, I'm trying the "don't offer, don't refuse" method, but he's old enough to pull down my shirt in the middle of church! This has GOT to end! I thought I'd go 6 months, that was my goal. Then I was scared that it wouldn't last because of my long vacation to the Keys at 4 months and was determined to continue. Then he used ME as his security blanket/thumb/pacifier and I didn't need a goal any more. HIS goal was to continue 'til high school. I knew I'd quit at 1yr, but definitely before he would be old enough to tug at my shirt. Oops! I think that's gotta seem gross to other people b/c it sure used to seem gross to me. Plus, he probably looks like he's 2 b/c he's walking, running, and being the cute little trouble maker that he is. So I'm going to work on it. --BUT, he's such a soft smushy cuddler when he wants me, and I don't want to let my baby go and grow up, so it's just as hard for me to refuse. I like playing with his wispy little hairs or his round feet and cankles when he's on the boppy in our rocking chair. His hairs move wherever I blow them. He likes to feel silky blankets, like Dylan likes, and has even pulled my shirt out of the laundry, put it down on the floor, then put his head down on it. Dylan's still a little cuddler, but Isaac is so wiggly that my only time to hold him is at this time. AND, he's finally taking two naps and is sleeping through the night. A milestone that should have been met ages ago. I'm a little nervous about changing up his routine. His pediatrician told me to stop nursing AND stop bottles. I'm thinking - one at a time, lady, you don't know him like I do. I did get some more sippy cups and have tried the milk in those. He just doesn't settle down with a sippy cup like he does for me or a bottle. The point of all this is: that Isaac is high maintenance. Aren't boys supposed to be easy?)

Echo My Media, please

I've had these pictures for a while, but I've been busy with holidays, weddings, receptions, and birthdays. So I'll back track a little, starting with our visit to my brother's business. Why not advertise for my little bro, right? Now that Matt's done with his accounting classes at BYU, he has more time to work on digitizing your videos, slides, pictures, etc etc etc. Everything is custom, like slide shows for parties or funerals set to music.

Ok, so really I just think this is a cute picture of Dylan being cheezy with his poor raw red nose from the cold weather in Utah.
Playing with a gavel next to the Echo Media pamphlets in the waiting room.

Take your nephews to work day:

If you're on facebook, make Echo B. Johnson your friend.

He's my brother's mascot for his business. You may remember him from when I posted about the pink bunny snowboarding with us. It's no wonder that their goal is to-

keep your memories "echoing"

throughout life . . .

and boy do we have fun doing it!

This was at their grand opening of their beautiful office way back when. I wish I had a picture of the office building. He got one customer because he liked the picture of the building from the website!

February 15th = Dylan's REAL birthday

On Sunday, Dylan woke up to presents! Nothing big, just some books from his book club at school I magically hid from him, a Superman little monster truck, and some "bad-EYEs" (bad guys pronounced as one word) that I had traded some baby clothes for at a local consignment store. Dylan had opened lots of presents from friends and family back when Isaac opened his. He was surprised to have anything to open!
Translation to the video, for you, Cami:
[One of us asked what the present was and he replied,] "A monster f**** (truck)."
Steven asks again, "What do you have there?"
Dylan answers in a deep voice, "A monster f**** (truck)! [I] have to open this one too."
I ask "What's on the monster truck?" (I was referring to the Superman cape.)
Dylan looks and slowly decides "ummmmmm, I don't have a guy on it, 'cause it's wost (lost)."
He didn't get the superman cape and thought the guy who's supposed to be riding it got lost. So I just said "oh" and hit stop.

Then, while still in his PJs, Dylan built a tower for his bad guys while I made his requested breakfast.

I stuck the 3 candles in his pancakes and we sung to him while we ignored Isaac who was sitting right next to Dylan eating a pancake.

Then we got ready for church. It was also little Matthew's 4th birthday! I had to make him a crown too. He was the only kid in my class that day, so the party, I mean Sunday School lesson, was limited to just him and Isaac.

. . . Which means that we got done pretty quickly with the lesson, activity, and Oreo time. So we ventured down the hall to see how the other birthday boy was doing. I was just in time! They were eating Dylan's cupcakes! (Waaaaaaay too many cupcakes this month, there's still one in our fridge, want it? I don't. February should be called cupcake month.)

Silly birthday boys

After nap time, we went to my mom's for dinner. I'm going to copy Don's yummy chicken recipie this week I think.

Oh yea, and more cupcakes for desert! We sung to him so many times, and he sung to himself lots too. It's cute because he would also include Isaac in his songs to himself, "Happy Birthday to me and Isaac," (repeated 4 times).We ended on a high note, a high tower, of course.

Kathy Wang gave me these blocks right after I had Dylan. She also gave me most of the books in the playroom too. She gave me so much when I had my shower and even more when and after I had Dylan. I just thought I'd share in case any of you know her. She's the BEST!

Dylan is so grown up yet is so innocent and sweet. If he does have to go to time out, he cries out of embarassment, or will say "I love you mom." One or the other.

Poor kid, I've been warning him that when he turned 3, he would no longer be able to carry his green blanket around. It would stay on his bed because he would be too big for it. He does pretty good about it, but when I drag him all over town, he likes to hold it when he's bored. He also finds it when he's sitting watching a movie. The problem is not the blanket, because Steven is good at washing it lots, but the problem is that Dylan still sucks his thumb when he holds it. He'll even promise me that he won't suck his thumb, but then it'll go right in his mouth when he's not thinking.

So, on his 3rd birthday, I let him take it everywhere (note the picture above), but that night, he knew that he would wake up and would keep it on his bed for nap time and sleep time. He understood, and that evening, when we were driving to my soccer game, Dylan announced to us, "I don't have my 'reen lay-let!" (green blanket) He was so proud of himself. He didn't suck his thumb either.

After the boys' bath tonight, Isaac was sooo tired and was squirming while I was putting his diaper on. Dylan (naked too) came up with Isaac's bottle and was trying to console his baby brother. He said "you want milk Isaac? Do you? No? Okay. Don't be sad, Isaac. Be happy like me, and like Mommy, and like Daddy and like chicken. Chicken? [laughing] Not chicken, that's funny." [We're both laughing.] Then he went and got his Book of Mormon reader. He likes it because wicked means bad guys, and rightious means good guys. Then Dylan was shoving that book into me while I was still working on getting Isaac dressed. (Dylan was still nude.)

Tonight, Dylan said "I have to give you a hug too, Daddy" after giving Steven a goodnight kiss. Steven said "I get a hug too! I sure am lucky" to which Dylan replied, "I'm lucky too, Dad."

Our Busy Valentine's Day

Steven and I went out for dessert on Friday night while my mom, Don, and JT came over. They watched a movie with Dylan. Isaac slept the whole time. Maybe it'll be easier for me to get babysitters now that Isaac sleeps!

On Valentine's Day, we did fun things.

First, Dylan made towers with Daddy while Isaac was a good trouble maker.

I don't know why they are each only half dressed. It was a fun day and they got to do whatever they wanted I guess. That was my Valentine's Day present to them.
We got dressed and went to the park. We did the one mile circle on Dylan's new bike. I thought Isaac would toddle next to us, but Dylan was fast! I should have put Isaac in the stroller because I had to run carrying Isaac some of the time when Dylan really got the hang of it. Listen to my advice at the beginning of this video.Dylan got up and said his hands were dirty. That was his only complaint. His bike is so small that it didn't hurt. I thought it was funny b/c it was my job to keep him on the path, but I was busy filming him. Steven took the next video and calls this one "the good one." Dylan's face is so funny at the end.
We couldn't go to the park without going to the "park." To Dylan, a park means a playground.

Then we went to the Primary party at church. It was a talent show!

After nap time, we made a last minute decision to go to the State Fair! I remember when Dylan cried on the merry go round. He laughed and laughed this time! Steven and he made funny faces at me each time around.
Fair food, a must.
Steven won a prize for the boys because the guy didn't guess Steven's right weight.
It's humungus bat, like 5 feet tall! I laugh every time I see it.
Dylan had fun on the bumper boats. He steered in circles.
He asked to go fishing because he had fished at the little carnival we went to in the fall. Dylan has a good memory.
At 8pm, they had fireworks! We told Dylan they were for him for his birthday.

He loved the fireworks and told us later when we were re-capping the day, that they were for him and his birthday.

Dylan got to go on a train ride too. He was busy making sure the seat belt was tight.

Isaac was sick of the stroller and wanted ice. I put it on the straw and that kept him occupied while we watched Steven ride the fun fast ride.

The End